PROBING ELEMENT 112'S CHEMISTRY

Abstract

ON THE BASIS OF a nuclear synthesis experiment that yielded just two atoms of element 112, scientists have determined that the super heavyweight's chemical properties are similar to those of mercury, the element directly above it in the periodic table. Predicting electron orbital structures of transactinides is challenging because of so-called relativistic effects. That term refers to the energy-altering influence of the large concentration of positive charge in the nuclei of the heaviest elements on the electrons orbiting those nuclei. Those forces can alter the configuration of an atom's valence orbitals—and hence its chemical properties—compared with the electronic structure expected solely on the basis of an element's position in the periodic table. In the case of element 112, the transactinide's atomic number places it in group 12 together with zinc, cadmium, and mercury. Earlier theoretical work suggests that 112 should indeed exhibit chemical behavior typical of group 12 elements. Other ...